MN Unemployment Trends: More Women, Some or No College

ST. PAUL -- Minnesota continues to see more women than men file for unemployment, during this period of COVID-19. However, the Minnesota Department of Employment And Economic Development Commissioner Steve Grove says the percentage gap is closing.

This week it has tilted slightly more toward 50-50, we're at 54 percent of applicants since March 16th have been women and 46 percent have been male.  We think this is in part due to a higher level of applications from male-dominated industries like manufacturing and construction that have begun to trend upward in our numbers.

Grove says the number of workers over the age of 30 who have filed for unemployment has also gone up.

He says 38 percent have only a high school diploma, 41 percent have some college, and 21 percent have a four-year degree.

About 260,000 Minnesotans have now filed for unemployment since March 16th.